Neural prosthetic solutions to rehabilitation problems have made a significant impact on people's lives in many areas. Neural Engineering and Assistive Technologies are active research areas and expanding into more clinical applications. Strategic collaborations between multiple disciplines are required to advance these new technologies into clinical practice. Cleveland NEW 2011 brought together scientists, engineers, clinicians, and research participants in order to identify collaborative approaches to overcome challenges in neural engineering. Through engaged discussion sessions about the future of neural engineering, attendees identified, refined and narrowed in on four important focus areas for the future of neural engineering research: (1) Development of a modular, fully integrated system to facilitate reaching in high level paralysis patients using natural command signals and suitable for everyday use; (2) Non-invasive method for determining neuronal communication at single cell resolution across the brain for therapeutic and diagnostic applications; (3) Seamlessly integrated neural interfaces with neuron-level resolution and longevity across the patient lifetime; and (4) Collaboration between clinicians, engineers, companies, regulatory bodies, and clinical trials specialists to develop a new framework for clinical study design of medical devices that leverages the flexibility of the technology. The Cleveland Neural Engineering Workshop (NEW) provides a forum to determine these opportunities and consider the future of this field. The purpose of this open captive conference is to bring together leaders committed to providing neural based solutions for individuals with neurological disorders or injury to identify the opportunities and roadblocks for improving clinical care. These leading clinicians, engineers, scientists and research participants will identify the key requirements and/or limitations to advance neural prostheses, identify key collaborative research areas and highlight a visionary research roadmap. Objective outcomes will include a manuscript and white paper reporting the identified opportunities and bottlenecks, new collaborations between investigators from multiple disciplines and funding proposals.